Bulgaria GDP Growth Slows to 2.5% in Q3

The Bulgarian economy grew by 2.5% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2026, easing from a downwardly revised 2.6% in the previous quarter, according to preliminary estimates. This marked the weakest growth since the first quarter of 2024, as final consumption growth slowed to 6.3% from 7.3%, while gross fixed capital formation growth moderated sharply to 0.5% from 3.4%. Within net external demand, exports contracted at a faster pace, declining 5.5% compared with a 1.1% drop in the previous quarter, while imports fell 1.0%, reversing from 7.8% growth in Q2. On a quarterly basis, the economy expanded by 0.6% in Q3, unchanged from the previous two quarters.

The Bulgarian economy grew 2.8% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, slightly above the preliminary estimate of 2.7% but slowing from a revised 3% in the previous quarter. It marked the weakest pace of expansion since Q1 2024, as domestic consumption growth slowed to 6.2% from 7.6% in Q1. Household consumption eased to 7.6% from 8.6%, while government spending fell 2.7% after rising 2.2% in Q1. Gross fixed capital formation also moderated to 8.4% from 8.7%. Net external demand made a positive contribution to GDP growth, as exports of goods and services rebounded to 0.2% after falling 7.1% in Q1, while imports edged up to 8.5% from 8.2% previously. On a seasonally quarterly basis, the economy expanded 0.7% in Q2, slightly above the preliminary estimate of 0.6% and unchanged from the previous quarter.

The Bulgarian economy grew 2.7% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, easing from a revised 2.9% in the previous quarter, according to preliminary estimates. This marked the weakest pace of growth since Q1 2024, as final consumption growth slowed to 7.6% from 8.0%, while gross fixed capital formation eased to 8.0% from 8.5%. Within net external demand, exports continued to decline but at a softer pace, falling 2.8% compared with a 7.3% contraction, while imports rose 6.9%, moderating from 8.2%. On a quarterly basis, the economy grew 0.6% in the second quarter, down slightly from 0.7% in the previous period and marking the weakest growth since Q3 2025.